Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court pick said on Tuesday (March 21) “nobody speaks for me,” while Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer accused him of “playing dodgeball” with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
With the ideological balance of the Supreme Court at stake, the Senate Judiciary Committee held the second day of its confirmation hearing for Gorsuch, a conservative federal appeals court judge from Colorado. Republicans, who control Congress, have praised Gorsuch, 49, as highly qualified for a lifetime appointment as a justice while Democrats have questioned his suitability.
However, back in 2006 Gorsuch was voted into the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals under George W. Bush by a number of prominent Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, John Kerry, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama.
If Gorsuch is confirmed by the Senate, as expected, he would restore a narrow 5-4 conservative court majority. The seat has been vacant for 13 months, since the death of conservative justice Antonin Scalia. Democrats have slim chances of blocking his nomination in the Republican-led Senate.
The committee is likely to vote on the nomination on April 3, with the full Senate vote likely soon after. The hearing could last four days.
Epoch Times contributed to this report.
